Beginnings
by Shelby and Tasia
Summary: Bella Swan has Leukemia-blood cancer. She moves to Forks with her dad to start a new life where no one knows about her illness, until she meets the mysterious Edward Cullen. Does he know her secret? Is he the only one that can help? Find out! ExB
1. Chapter 1

**We do NOT own Twilight or any characters in this story. They all belong to SM. **

**Please R&R! We cant wait to see what you guys think. This is our first story so don't be too harsh, but we want you to be honest. Thank you :D**

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My name is Bella Swan. I was a perfectly normal 17 year-old girl until I found out that I have Leukemia- blood cancer. Eighty percent of my blood is infected. Back home, everyone pitied me so I decided to start fresh and live with my dad Charlie in Forks, Washington. I'm starting school tomorrow, and of course, I do not want anyone to know I'm sick. That knowledge brings unwanted attention; I'm a shy person, and easily embarrassed. The less I'm noticed, the happier I'll be.

The flight to Forks was relaxing. No odd glances, or offers of help with the simplest of things. I felt almost normal again- I was free to breathe. Charlie picked me up from the airport and we drove home in silence. I laughed quietly at the irony of how much I longed for this and how much I already missed the searing heat of home. He pulled into the driveway of the small house I knew like the back of my hand. We walked in and I trudged up the stairs and into my room. Dumping everything on the floor, I laid down on the bed, enjoying the comfort. I could hear Charlie moving around downstairs and I hoped he wouldn't become all over protective because of my cancer.

After unpacking, I went downstairs to cook dinner for Charlie. I groaned when I saw the limited contents of the fridge and made a mental note to go shopping after school. Eventually, I settled on making spaghetti and garlic bread. After cleaning up dinner, I went back upstairs to the bathroom and took a nice, hot shower to calm my nerves. I was worried about all the treatments and doctors appointments I would have, but I soon forgot about them as I dozed off to sleep.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

"Sigh." It's time to start my new life at school.

"Hey, Bells? You up?" Charlie said knocking lightly on my door. "I have a surprise for you," I moaned from my nest of pillows. "I know you don't like them, but I think you will enjoy this one."

"OK, I'm coming. Just let me get dressed."

"I'll be in the kitchen."

"'Kay." I responded sleepily.

I dug through my closet torn between the first impression different outfits might have before deciding to wear dark skinny jeans, a navy blue T-shirt, and my black converse. Then, I went to the tiny bathroom and brushed my hair and teeth. I was surprised my hair actually looked descent. Aware of the sleep that still clung to me, I carefully ran downstairs to meet Charlie in the kitchen.

"OK. I'm ready." I said nervously.

He took me out front and covered my eyes.

"This isn't going to be anything... big... is it?" I asked him nervously. Charlie just lead me down the steps with a chuckle saying,

"Don't trip now. We don't need you going to the hospital already." If his hands hadn't been covering my eyes I would have shot him a look.

"Bad joke, Dad. Can I look now?" His hands slid off my face, the loss of their warmth sudden and I opened my eyes to see a big red hunk of junk. Four black doughnuts were stuck to the bottom. It took me a few minutes in my sleep deprived state to realize that he was giving me a truck. A big, old, red truck! I gasped and spun to face him.

"Oh, its perfect! I love it!"

I drove to school in my "new" truck still elated over what Charlie had done. When I arrived, I was pleased to note that I was a little bit earlier than the other students which meant I could get my schedule without the stares that were going to come later. As I walked into the office, I was greeted by a warm smile and a "good morning." The receptionist was named Ms. Cope. She was a little on the heavier side and she was wearing a white shirt that said "Forks High School" in big black bubble letters.

"Hi. I'm Bella Swan." I said blushing and nervously adding, "I'm new?"

"Oh! Hello dear. I have your schedule right here. It has the class. room number, and teacher name. Please get this sheet of paper signed by each teacher and bring it back at the end of the day." Ms. Cope said smiling sweetly. "Have a wonderful day."

"Thanks." I mumbled shyly while turning to exit the office to find my first hour.

_OK Bella. You can do this. No one knows about you being sick._ I thought to myself, standing outside Spanish. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I was greeted with curious stares from the students already in their seats. Of course I blushed like a ripe tomato as I walked up to the teachers desk and got my paper signed. Mrs. York had me introduce myself in front of the class. I thought I couldn't blush a brighter color, but I proved myself wrong. I took an empty seat in the back next to an overly-talkative girl named Jessica Stanely. She offered me a seat at her table at lunch and I felt rude declining so I reluctantly agreed to join her.

English and Trig flew by pretty quickly. Both classes were a bore, but the people were interesting. In English I met Angela, Ben, and Eric. In Trig I saw Jessica again and she introduced me to Mike Newton. The way Jessica looked and talked to Mike I could tell that she liked him. Mike didn't seem to notice. Mike, Jessica and I exited math and walked to the Cafeteria. They talked so much, that I could zone out and they wouldn't notice. At Jessica's table sat, Lauren, Angela, Ben, Eric, Mike, and a guy named Tyler that I recognized from Spanish.

I was staring out the windows of the cafeteria, already bored with Jessica's dreary gossip, when I noticed a small group of teens sitting together. They didn't speak to each other or eat. There were five of them- two girls, three boys and they were all different, but yet…similar? I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something about them that separated them from us. I turned to Angela to ask who they were since she wasn't engaged in the conversation that was taking place. Angela was quiet and shy like me. She told me they were the Cullens; Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Esme Cullen adopted them. The supermodel blond female was Rosalie Hale, the blond male was her twin brother Jasper Hale. Rosalie was dating the big muscular male named Emmett Cullen. Jasper was dating the short spiky-haired, pixie-like female named Alice Cullen.

There was one more Cullen left. He had a mess of untamed bronze hair. Angela said his name was Edward Cullen. Edward was single, but didn't seem interested in any of the girls in school. Something about the Cullens intrigued me. It may have been the way they swept swiftly and perfectly out of the cafeteria as the bell rang or the way they seemed to distance themselves from the rest of us. Maybe….it was both. I didn't have time to ponder their differences- I was going to be late to biology if I sat and thought any longer.

` As I walked in, I handed Mr. Banner my slip and as he signed it, I scanned the room for people I recognized and open seats. I saw Mike and Angela, but they both had partners. I also recognized Edward Cullen and he was seated at the only table that was available. Mr. Banner handed me back my paper, gave me my bio book and sat me next to Edward. He didn't say hi and that was perfectly fine with me, but I did feel something different than what I felt around other kids. The teacher started to give the lecture on the lab we would be performing next week and I listened eagerly because it got my mind off of the strangeness of the Cullens.

Edward didn't say a word to me throughout class and I figured he was shy. Towards the end however, I glanced up at him through my curtain of hair and I saw he was staring at me with a familiar expression on his face. It was one of wonder and...sympathy? It was the same look people gave me when they found out I had Leukemia.

_No. He cant possibly know Bella. Don't be ridiculous. No one knows! Get a grip. He's probably sympathizing with you because he knows what it feels like to be new_, I told myself repeatedly, trying to convince myself as the bell rang. While I packed up my stuff I couldn't shake the idea that he really knew about my illness and that thought really scared me.

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**We hope you enjoyed it! please review. Thank you!!**

**~Shelby and Tasia~**


	2. Chapter 2

The bell rang and as everybody was walking to their last class, I hid in the girls' bathroom. Mike offered to walk me to my next class but I declined quickly, knowing that his next class was gym. I didn't have gym and explaining why would expose my secret. So, as a result, I was hiding in the bathroom. I waited ten minutes after the final bell rang before walking out to the parking lot and starting up my truck. Excitement flooded through me as it roared to life; I still couldn't believe it was mine!

On the way home, I remembered to stop by the store. Nobody saw me as I walked in, thankfully, and I browsed the shelves blissfully unnoticed. After paying for the food, I got back into my truck and drove home. The whole way, my mind was stuck on Edward and the look he gave me during biology. _How on earth could he know? Was the staff talking about it and he overheard? _I shook my head, trying to dispel the thought and come up with a more reasonable explanation. _Maybe he was just thinking about something else_… I pulled up to the house putting all the food into their proper places automatically, my brain overflowing with possibilities and explanations. Even though putting away groceries was not a strenuous task, I was exhausted by the time I finished, the effort of imagining reasons why he would look that way tired me out. I looked around the kitchen; I tried to find something to occupy myself with.

Charlie walked in an hour later to me scrubbing the same shiny spot on the counter over and over again.

"Bella?" he asked worriedly. "What are you doing?"

I looked up and stammered, "C-c-cleaning."

He stared at me with a look that said "obviously". "I get that Bells- by the look of it you've been cleaning for a while in the same spot."

"No homework," I explained. With a sigh, he pulled the rag I was using on the counter from my hands and put it in the sink.

"Why don't you come help me and do something useful?" he asked with a small chuckle. I nodded and followed him out of the kitchen and out the back door. The sun was reflecting off of something shiny and I blinked. Blinking again, I realized that the sun was shining off of several shiny something's- specifically a pile of fish. Charlie caught my confused stare and explained,

"They're halibut."

"I see…" I said as I continued to stare at him blankly.

"I need your help in gutting them."

"Uh, y-you want me to g-gut a fish?" I asked incredulously. He smiled, just handing me a knife. "Why?"

"Just for the hali-but."

"What?"

"You know, halibut- just for the hell of it?" he replied.

"Yea, I get it Dad. Don't, don't do it again." I watched as he picked up his own knife and fish and started to work. I flinched as he brought the knife down on the fish's head.

"C'mon that was a fish-tastic joke!" he laughed.

"No, it's not funny at all." I whined.

I was still standing there, watching in disgust when I heard a car pull up. The doors shut and a man called out,

"Charlie?!" he looked up and hollered back,

"Back here!"

"What are you doing?" the man asked.

"Bells and I are gutting some fish for the halibut." He chuckled as I rolled my eyes and sighed at his lame jokes. I saw the owner of the voice and recognized the man as Harry Clearwater. In his hand was a small brown package. Harry held it up for Charlie to see.

"I brought over some of my fish fry."

"Yum," Charlie said with a smile. While they talked, I walked up to the house to take a shower and get the fishy smell off of me. On my way inside, I spotted a face that should not be as familiar as it was. It was Edward. By his side was a small girl, which I remembered was Alice. She waved and he looked at me. I flushed, recalling that knowing look he gave me in biology; so much for forgetting about it. A fluffy golden dog bounced around their feet. It saw me and its tail wagged a million miles an hour. I paused on the sidewalk and it ran up to me yipping excitedly. The dog leaped into the air in my direction and knocked me over causing me to scrape my elbow. I screamed quietly for a moment, before looking at my arm. _Oh crap_.

"I'm bleeding." Alice rolled her eyes.

"No duh, Bella." She said sarcastically. Edward sighs at his sister and walks over to me, extending his hand in my direction.

"You okay Bella?" he asked with a sweet smile. For a moment I forgot why he was asking. I remembered with a blush and said,

"Yea." Taking his hand, I let him pull me up. Alice went to scold the dog. "Cute dog," I told him. He laughed and said,

"It's not ours; we're trying to find its owner." I stared at him, caught up in his musical laugh.

"Can I help?" I asked without thinking. He seemed shocked but Alice bounded up and said,

"Sure!" Edward shot her a look and she winked at him. I brushed myself off and when I looked up he was staring at me with a weird look on his face.

"What?" I asked, embarrassed. He ran his hand through his hair and asked,

"Why do you smell like fish?" I turned bright red, completely mortified.

"My dad was gutting some halibut and asked me to help him." Alice wrinkled her nose.

"Um, Bella, how about going to change out of those clothes?" I flushed and nodded, turning to walk back into the house.

"Bella don't forget we have to drive into the city on Friday to the cancer center!" Charlie called. I stopped dead in my tracks. _Crap! If he didn't know before he knows now_, I thought angrily. I turned to face them, cringing at the thought of their beautiful faces distorted with concern. Tears stung my eyes and I brushed them away with the back of my hand as they spilled onto my cheeks.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I'll be right back." Then I fled into the house, slamming my door shut. I sat on my bed and put my hands over my eyes and sobbed into them. After a few minutes, I decided to follow Alice's advice and change. I pulled on some old sweats and a t-shirt before walking into the living room.

The couch was occupied to my surprise when I walked in. I found Edward sitting on the old cushion.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I came to apologize."

"For what?" I asked, surprised again. He looked up from the floor and stared into my eyes.

"For the way Alice has been acting." Edward replied, a beat late. His hesitation showed that Alice wasn't the only reason he hesitated.

"No!" I exclaimed, mad. "Don't pity me. I don't want your apology." Sadness flooded his eyes but he kept it from crossing his face.

"Ok then." He said. There were a few moments of awkward silence between us as I tried to get over my sudden anger. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"Well. How about we go find that dog's owner?" I asked with false enthusiasm.

"Bella, you don't have to." Edward said gently. I glared at him, thinking this was another form of his sympathy.

"I can if I want to- and I do, so I will." He sighed and got up, gesturing for me to lead the way. I marched passed him and out the door. Alice was waiting with the dog out front. I think she could tell that I needed to calm down.

"Ok. Where should we start?"

"Oh, um….I think we should head down…" she turned and pointed in a random direction, "that way." I took the dog and started walking. I could hear Edward whispering to Alice behind me, but I pretended not to notice. The first house was coming up and I boldly walked up the front porch. Bringing the dog with me, I knocked on the door. A couple of kids answered. Suddenly, I was hit with a wave of self-consciousness. I could still hear them whispering behind me, so I shoved it away and proceeded to say.

"Hello. Is this your dog?" the kids shook their heads and I said goodbye. Turning back to the two, I shook my head and went to the next house. This went on for a few more hours. Eventually, I gave up and told them,

"Sorry guys. Guess your just going to have to take him." Alice nodded a bit sourly and Edward offered to walk me home. I said that was fine, still a bit mad at him. As we walked, we didn't say much. Just the occasional, how's school?

"Look, Bella, I'm sorry if I offended you earlier." Edward confessed. I looked at him and whispered,

"Well, guess the secrets out anyways." He looked confused. "My leukemia." I clarified. Shock flitted across his face but then his expression turned to stone.

"I didn't know. I thought you guys volunteered," Panic gripped me as I realized what I had just done. _Crap, oh my goodness I can't believe I told him! Nice going, Bella._ I chastised myself.

"Oh."

"How long?" he asked.

"A few years," I replied.

"I knew there was something different about you." He whispered so quietly that I couldn't really be sure that was what he said.

"Excuse me?" I asked. He just smiled and shook his head, ignoring my question. I sighed in annoyance; I hated when guys did that. We walked in silence for a few more minutes before I had the courage to ask,

"Why did you think I was different?"

"It's just the way you hold yourself- like you're afraid of something. It's in your eyes too." Something about the way he said that didn't sit well with me. Even though I didn't really believe it, I was too tired to argue. By that time, we had reached my house and I turned to him.

"Thank you for walking me home." I told him quietly. He nodded.

"Anytime." Then he turned and walked away. I opened the door and saw Charlie in the living room where Edward had sat a few hours previously.

"Hey Dad," I called, to let him know I was home. He waved, glancing up from the game he was watching on his tiny television. I walked slowly up the stairs, going into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and was about to just brush my teeth and go to bed. The smell of fish was coming up from downstairs, though, and I felt the need to shower. Closing the door, I turned the water as hot as I could stand.

Twenty minutes later, I was drying off and getting into my pajamas.

"Bells, do you want some dinner?" Charlie called from the kitchen. I wandered down and looked to see what he had made. Harry Clearwater was still there, dishing up his fish fry. _Ew_, I groaned internally and said,

"No thanks, Dad, I had a big lunch."

"You sure? Harry makes some of the best fish fry ever." I nodded and walked back up to my room. Shutting the door on the smell of fish, I laid down in bed and fell asleep.

_The sound of the crowd swirled around her as she sat at the table with her friends in the mall. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. Suddenly, it hit her and she looked at her friend Amanda in amazement. The girls were giggling all around her as they chatted aimlessly about everything. _

"_Did you see Matt yesterday?" Amanda gushed. "His hair looked so cute spiked up!" Another girl next to her laughed and started talking about a boy named Nick. _

_She blinked and they were dancing in the park, squealing when the sprinklers came on. Then they laughed harder and chased each other through the water spraying up in rainbow arcs. The wet grass clung to her feet as she chased a girl named Chelsea across the park. Both of them tripped and went stumbling, giggling in shock at the sight of the ground coming up to meet them. _

_She blinked again and they were all sitting in a cold, white room that smelled like Lysol. The girls were in a huddle around her, their eyes red and puffy, their cheeks wet from tears that streamed down their faces; her mascara was running and she hugged them back. At first, she didn't remember why they were crying. Then the doctor walked in with her mother and she realized where she was. All of the sudden she felt claustrophobic. Jumping up, she turned, searching for an exit. The red sign glowed above a door to her right and she bolted towards it. It was bright outside and she held her hand over eyes to shade them from the sun. Staggering forward, she jogged down the sidewalk, not caring that she was still in the thin cotton hospital gown. People stared as she walked by. All she wanted was to be alone where nobody could look at her. Their stares sent waves of panic through her and she froze. There was a buzzing sound in her hears and she shook her head to clear it. It got louder and she realized that the buzzing sound was really the sound of a car horn. The driver was honking frantically, waving for her to get out of the middle of the road. She stood there, not knowing what to do. Her ears filled with the sound of the car horn, the screams of passerby and her own shocked shriek as she braced herself…_

… for the impact that would never come. Once again, I woke up drenched in sweat. The nightmares were back.


	3. Chapter 3

Dear Readers,

I really need your help with the next chapter. I have a poll on our page so you guys can vote on what should happen in chapter 3. I'm kind of stuck. If you guys could please vote and/or send your ideas through e-mail! This would me a lot. I know it's probably depressing that this is not a chapter. I totally understand. I know I won't be able to post the next chapter on Monday since I don't have any idea what should write about. I don't think posting on a set day is a really good idea. I think we are just going to post when we can.

THANK YOU!

~Tasia :D


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